8th Provenance Research Day

Two workshops will offer you the opportunity to explore specific topics: What do mats from the Lamu Archipelago in Kenya reveal about interwoven histories? And how is research conducted on human remains in the Ethnological Museum?

Together, you will explore questions about the origin and significance of historical collections—and what museums and colonial archives document and what they conceal.

The open discussion format "Ask the Provenance Researchers" will then provide an opportunity to delve deeper into the challenges of collection histories, questions of museum responsibility and transparency, and potential futures of collaborative research approaches—directly in conversation with the researchers on site.


Workshop 1 | Provenance Research on Human Remains in the Ethnological Museum with Ilja Labischinski
2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The collections of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin contain several thousand human remains. They entered the museums within the context of racist scientific and collecting practices of the 19th century. How do we deal with this today? And what does provenance research even look like in this context? The workshop will provide exemplary insights into ongoing research. Using concrete case studies, it will become clear what challenges the research faces—both methodological and ethical. Together, we will also discuss what repatriation means and what role societies of origin play in these processes.

Free of charge. No prior knowledge required.

Limited number of participants. Online registration recommended.


Workshop 2 | Speaking Mats – Interwoven Stories at the Ethnological Museum With Sophia Bokop
5:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Mats woven with poems and the names of colonial figures? This is the subject of research into a collection of mats from the Lamu Archipelago off the northern coast of Kenya. Now housed in the collections of the Ethnological Museum, they originated during the era of European and German colonial ambitions and political upheavals in Lamu and the opposite mainland.

This workshop offers insights into the ongoing research surrounding these extraordinary mats: How do we approach their origin and meaning? What traces does colonial history leave in the archives – and what remains invisible? In addition to gaining insight into provenance research practices, you can actively participate: Using prints of historical mats and selected examples from the museum's archive, you can explore what lies within their patterns – stories, relationships, and life stages.

Free of charge. No prior knowledge required.

Limited number of participants. Online registration recommended.

Conversation | Ask the Provenance Researchers With Sophia Bokop, Ilja Labischinski, Sonja Mohr
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

What stories lie behind the objects in museums? Who donated them to the museum, under what circumstances—and what does that mean today? Following each workshop, the open discussion sessions "Ask the Provenance Researchers" will take place. Whether you are curious about specific objects and their stories, would like to learn more about the work in the archives and collections of the Ethnological Museum, or want to know how museums deal with their colonial past today—there is room for all questions. No prior knowledge is necessary.

Free of charge. No prior knowledge required.


IN GERMAN